N.Y. handgun licensees can file privacy form

Updated 8:29 pm, Sunday, February 17, 2013

ALBANY — New York's licensed handgun owners can keep their information private using a new form from State Police.

The forms, available online, should be submitted at county offices where pistol owners registered.

They can exempt their information from the state Freedom of Information Law, which some newspapers have used to identify owners.

The exemption provision was included in the state's gun control law enacted Jan. 15. It requires stating a reason for the exemption, though it also says they will be granted unless the filing was untimely or the information false.

Under the law, all current licensing information will be exempt from disclosure until May 15.

The law mandates handgun license renewals at least every five years. Many counties previously issued lifetime licenses, which now expire in 2018.